The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-29
SNAKE-lIZARD.
Reptile and an Egg-Partaking OF a
Banquet Once in Six Weeks.
Fl,ona the Dellver Tribune- Republtcan.

Io6hQutb OlC6 III DIX w cckS
From the Denyer Tribune Republican.
great black rattlesnake was moving
leisurely about in his cage in a LariIner
street shop window in Denver, when a re-
porter paused to look at the reptile for the
space of few minutes. A bright patch of
sunlight was flooding the window, and in
this the snake seemed to be reveling; taking
his holiday, as it were, for it takes consid-
cradle incentive to make a snake move on a
cloudy day. The rattlesnake had his house
all to himself, at least there were no other
snakes present at the entertainment, but
away in one corner of the cage, towering
and quivering in the most agoniZing fear,
sat half grown rat, with his feet curled
up under him, his long slender tail fairly
lashed into an interrogation point with
excitement, and his bright little black eyes
swapping as il they would pop out of his
head with horror. The rattlesnake moved
leisurely along, first to one side of the cage
and then to the other, sometime turning his
body slowly around near the corner where
the rat was, and sometimes crawling to the
opposite end of the cage but always keeping
his glittering eyes ON the rat, which poor
little animal seemed utterly transfxed with
horror Sometimes the snake would crawl
up to the very front Of the cage, rubbing
the length of his body along the bars, stick
ing out his tongue, and evidently drinking
in the sunshine which fell direct upon him
In the meantime a crowd had congregated
outside the window and were curiousy
watching the movements of the rattlesnake,
whom they momentarily expected to pounce
upon the terrified rat and devour it, but the
snake took his own time. 1t way evidently
no common rattlesnake, but a genuine
monarch of its kind, who took life on an
easy plan and never hurried about any
thing.
In an adjoining cage lay great red
lizard, doing in the sun on the gravelly bed
prepared for his comfort. This creature was
fat and broad and torpid. 1t was also red
and black alternately in the most artistic
fashion, as if the deft fingers of some young
lady skilled in the art of fancy work had
beaded him to the queens taste This lizard
has history. 1t was brought TO the NetUs
office five years ago and presented to the
manager, Mr. Atkins, but Mr.. Atkins, not
feeling greatly drawn toward it, had given
strict orders that it should be
hastily presented, with his COM
pliments, to the Larimer street
establishment 1t is said that message had
early come from the NeiCS Office to this
effect: why don't you hurry up and take
the nasty beast awayN But this is only a
bit of history, and has little to do with the
soon reused from its slumbers by being
sharply prodded with stick, inasmuch as
it was time for him to dine. Having, there
fore, the vision of feast in its mind, it
lifted it's fat red body, opened its eyes and
awaited Developments In the meantime
the rattlesnalse was moving slowly about his
cage, and the timorous rat was crouching
closer and closer to the bars. When the
lizard awoke, the people turned their att
Co. of .ta1
by the sound Of footsteps took its eyes off
the rat for the time being and fastened them
intentiy upon its next door neighbor. At
that juncture the door of the lizards cage
was quickly opened and an egg was thrown
upon the gravelly carpet of his habitation.
II restesd there but moment.
The fat lazy red creature became possessed
with momentary energy. Moving quickly
to where the egg lay, it seized upon IL like
some rapacious monster devouring his prey,
and, taking it in its mouth attempted to
swallow it down at gulp. But the effort
was too great. The lizards mouth was not
large enough. The creature gasped and
gurgled, and finally spat the egg out again
upon the gravel. Then rage seemed TO
inspire the lizard. He rolled his fat body
angerily upon the egg, broke it in two
pieces and quickly devoured it one piece at
a time. This operation quickly completed,
his Hardship lay down TO rest again, and
the attention of the crowd was quickly at
tracted to the neighboring cage, where the
rattlesnake was beginning to move rapidly
in the direction of its prey. II was plain
case. The snake had tormented and tanta-
lied the rat until firing Of the sport it had
turned for a moment to watch the fat, red
lizard feasting on the egg, and the sight had
evidently increased its own greedy hunger,
for making one swift advance upon the rat
he killed and swallowed il so quickly that
not one of the spectators could have ex-
planned how it was DONE As the snake
swallowed the rat the animal could be seen
slipping along the length of the reptiles
body with remarkable distinctness. A few
more g1llps and all was over. His snakeship
then surfeited with the rat on which he had
dined, soon flung itself on the cloth lining
of the stage which composes its couch, and
had soon sunk away into sleep Doubtless
sleep brought to it many visions of feasting
time, many fields fairly paved with gigantic
rats which it became the privilege to fall
upon and devour. 1t was the first time the
lizard had paTtaken of food for six weeks
The proprietor of the establishment sud
that they never ate oftener, and that Gagged
rattlesnakes could never be induced 10 eat
frogs. If the rat had been thrown into the
cage dead the rattlesnake would have crawled
over its body for the space of years time
without eating it, but it is the appearance
of life in these smaller and more helpless
animals which seem to provoke the cruel
desire Of the rattlesnalke. 1t is said that the
rattles are designed by nature for the pur-
pose of initiating the sound Of insects, there
by Turing hapless birds into the tolls of the
snakes. A bird singing on the branch of
tree heares chirping sound which IL i'm
AGNES emanates from the throat of some
fat and juicy bug, quickly descends among
u thick growth of grasses, and never knows
more, for it is at once seized upon and
devoured by the reptile which has been
lying in wait for it, perhaps for day. This
is one of rattlesnake's sly tricks not usually
known TO the public. IL is said, also, that
there is no such thing as snake charming.
Anybody may be a snake charmer who has
sufficient courage TO keep his eye colly fixed
on the bright orbs Of thereptile, and to prod
IL vigorously with stick In this way the
snake may be irrated almost to death, and
will never attempt to bite anything except
the stick. II has long since been ascertained,
by those who deal in snakes, that pro-
fessional snake charmer never buys @ snake
until he has learned that il is absolutely free
from poison. The rattlesnal1es they use have
their poison fang extracted, and other
varieties Of snakes are many of them harm
less. In this way wonderful feats are per-
formed by so-called snake charmers in
public. 1t is curious scientific fact that
all the elements of the poison found in a
are inherent in the common
Irish potato. A teaspoon upon being forced